Obsession is usually depicted as something negative or costly in the mainstream media. The negativity becomes greater when one has to deal with people’s love for fiction. Annie Wilkes almost killed writer Paul Sheldon in Stephen King’s classic Misery, due to her uncontrolled love of the latter’s fictional stories. Don Quixote made up his own worlds and loved them so dearly that he ended up a symbol of all paranoia.

In the following article, I will not try to go to the opposite extreme and say that being a modern Don Quixote should be an acceptable lifestyle choice, but I wish to prove this simple claim; as there are harmful ways to be obsessed with universes that “do not exist”, there are positive paths too -and I have lived both. Continue reading →

I will admit that Uchouten Kazoku is enticing visually; I have had an issue with PA Works’ previous endeavors which not only shared almost copied aesthetics, but also felt plastic to a point. Uchouten was a fresh breeze with stunning landscapes and, as illegenes pinpoints, the directing subtly matches seasons with situations and feelings.

I will also admit that it’s very rare to see a series dealing with family as its main theme. Family usually makes a brief appearance in certain settings in order to set obstacles and very rarely to be a positive supportive power. When it’s a central theme, things are most often than not idealized and sugarcoated.Uchouten avoids siding completely with these two extremes. Ajthefourth, for example, analyzes Yaichirou’s character development in relation to his brothers and parents and I can’t disagree with her about how suberb he was handled in the show.

But I still have many issues with the characters and the ideas the series tossed at us. PA Works has a remarkable record of annoying me one way or the other with what it produces the last few years -and I perhaps foolishly continue hoping they’ll change their bad habits. Since the series managed to make me feel frustrated enough, please bear with me being once in a while negative, especially since it was hailed so much. Continue reading →

Hentai aren’t usually praised for their script (though they are way more imaginative than 3D pr0n); cleverness and sensuality aren’t frequent ingredients. Since the main audience is perceived to be males who just want to release their sexual frustration, you can’t expect anything but the male gaze and fantasies. This means non-con situations, crude shots focused on body parts and not on the whole, no emotional interaction apart from fake moans and dirty talk, and lots of liquids. Everywhere.

And here comes this post to pinpoint you to two rare gems which are lady-friendly and exceptionally well-done in all aspects. Let’s get deliciously naughty with Pop Chaser and Star Trap from the Cream Lemon series! Continue reading →

Heteronormativity isn’t just about the presumption that everyone is heterosexual. The expectation that boys woo girls feeds into your mind the expectation that relationships are necessary for fulfilment, and you are less than if you are not having particular kinds of sex with a particular, and a particular kind of, person at particular intervals. It’s about what Lauren Berlant calls the love plot, in which love is produced as a generic text enabling society to interpret your life as following certain conventions. It’s not about what you want, it’s about what you’re supposed to want. You’re not encouraged to think about what you want in relationships, if anything, so much as you are encouraged to fit a script. Heteronormativity messes things up for everyone, straight people included.

On the previous posts, we’ve talked about things like slut-shaming and sexual choices, cat calling, flirt and rape culture. In this last installment, I want to go back to ‘the basics’ and talk about all the small things we get wrong and lead to the downfall of a relationship. And in contrast to the other posts that were focused on heterosexuals, I’ll try including our queer friends here. Love and relationships aren’t solely for cis het people after all; it’s the dynamics that might be more or less problematic. Continue reading →

I hate these blurred lines
I know you want it
But you’re a good girl
The way you grab me
Must wanna get nasty

~”Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke

A lot of ruckus was generated this past month and continues to be stirred around this song, and not without reason. It actually says that men can interpret whatever gesture a woman makes as sign of horniness and agreeing to sexual advances, which is not only disrespectful but also dangerous for women. The song is climbing the charts and that’s worrisome. I am not going to give further attention to the singer or the song and its MV – I hope some lyrics are enough for you and please refrain from searching it on youtube and thus giving it more credit and views; but you can check the chilling comparison with rape survivors’ testimonies here. I want to step on it to talk about misconceptions in flirting, share some experiences and make certain things clear. Continue reading →